thanks for the report. sounds like a very cool place.
two things, though, please:
first, is this an expensive or a very expensive joint?
second, if youll excuse the pretentious humble brag on my part:
i encourage you not to let your disappointment with the lettuce dish turn you off all things relae. it is an utterly fantastic, non pretentious restaurant with inventive but absolutely delicious, non ridiculous food.
and filling enough for even your clean plate ranger types.

Thanks! Yah, we quite enjoyed In Situ. As for price, it’s a la carte, so you can decide how many dishes you want. For us, it ended up being $100 per person or so, but we also over ordered by a dish or so.

For Relae, thanks for the recommendation! That’s very cool that you got a chance to try it in person, and reading a bit about the restaurant, it seemed like a place I wanted to go to regardless. But it’s good to know the Lettuce Sandwich isn’t indicative of the restaurant in general. Thanks.

Hey, I was actually there last week on a Wednesday. I asked about the Scallops and the Sea Urchin as they were not on the menu. Server stated that they are typically there on Friday/Saturday dinner time in relatively low quantities.

Smoked Confit Pig Jowl
shiitake, shaved sea scallop, Jerusalem Artichoke Leaves, Juniper, Bay
Peter Gilmore, Quay
Sydney, Australia, 2014
I had the original dish at quay and wanted to try in situ’s interpretation and it tasted spot on. Great combination of porky fattiness with the sweet scallops and crunch from the artichoke leaves, highlight of the night.

The Voyage from the Indies
wild John Dory, cabbage, turmeric, mango-apple compote
Olivier Roellinger, Les Maisons de Bricourt
Saint-Méloir-des-Ondes, France, 1982
This was a miss, the fish was overcooked and the sauce was way too overpowering.

So glad you guys like this place as much as we do. Chef Brandan is a super talented guy and very down to earth. He cooked my birthday dinner a few years back at Benu and I swear he was better than the master himself! We’re big fans of the David Chang Spicy Pork Sausage with Crispy Rice Cakes, though it seems to be off the menu currently.

BTW, have you all tried the third jewel in the Corey Lee crown, Monsieur Benjamin? The stuffed Quail a la Chasseur is quite delicious.

Asparagus with fried maitake, house-made tofu, and sesame mayo. This was great and again things I’d hope to get at a really good izakaya, albeit with the asparagus maybe not plated so fancily. In Situ, 3-0.

Jokbal, this was really good, especially that fermented barley whatever-it-is. There was actually a pretty solid amount of pork in the bowl, though we’d have liked more of the skin, cartilage, and fat like you’d get at a traditional place. Pickled perilla was too sweet for my taste but it was gilding the lily anyway. One point for Korea.